The present invention relates to a class of surface projectile games, generally of the type relating to the children's game of marbles and to the adult game of billiards. Specifically, this invention teaches a game apparatus, and method of playing the same, for shooting marbles at a plurality of pockets on a game board having a plurality of bumpers.
Young children have been playing marbles on playgrounds for generations. One popular version of the game is called “Ringer,” which, as the name implies, is played in a ring, with a grouping of target marbles placed at the center. Each player has his or her own “shooter” marble that is distinctively different in color from the target marbles in the game. The object of the game is to shoot the most target marbles out of the ring with the shooter marble, from a position outside the ring. By its nature, marbles is a game of rather mundane objectives, requiring only elementary skills, and, as such, is suitable only for children.
Billiards, on the other hand, is also an old and popular game, but one for adults. Traditionally, it is an indoor parlor game played on a rectangular table having six pockets. With billiards, the shooting player employs a cue stick to strike a cue ball at the other target balls with the general objective of knocking the target balls into any one of the pockets. By its nature, in contrast to marbles, billiards is a difficult game requiring a heightened degree of calculation and skill, and thus is not a game suitable for children.
The present invention is directed to a game apparatus that is a new and improved synthesis of marbles and billiards, so as to be suitable for both children and adults alike, by combining some elements of both games in a novel way and by adding an additional element of chance as explained below. Like the game for children, the basic playing piece of the present invention is a typical marble ball. But it is not a game to be played on the ground outdoors. Rather, in a manner akin to billiards, it is played on a rectangular game board, having a plurality of pockets, each, however, of a specific color. Unlike billiards, a cue stick is not used to strike a cue ball at other target balls. Instead, a player must shoot a marble as in the traditional children game. To shoot a marble, it is necessary to roll the forefinger around the marble, cradling it tight against the thumb knuckle with the thumb tucked under the middle finger. To shoot, the thumb kicks out, thereby shooting the marble.
A common feature of both marbles and billiards as described above is that it is necessary to shoot an object ball (e.g. a shooter marble or cue ball) at a number of target balls. For the game of marbles, the objective is to knock the target marbles out of the ring. While in billiards, the objective is to knock a target ball into any one of the various pockets. By contrast, the general objective of the game of the present invention is for the shooting player to shoot a marble directly into a specific corresponding color-coded pocket on the game board. There are no target marbles involved, thus greatly simplifying the strategy of play. However, there is an added twist. The game board has a multitude of bumpers to obstruct a player from shooting a marble directly into a pocket, thereby introducing a degree of difficulty and an element of chance into the game.
For the foregoing reasons, because there is a need for a game apparatus that can be played and enjoyed by children and adults alike, the present invention teaches a new and improved marble and bumper game.